How to Paint Your Interior Parts - Inside Highlights

I was looking through some of the parts that I have accumulated for the ’73 Charger that I have been very slowly trying to get working on, and when I got to the interior panels, I just couldn’t decide how I would handle restoring or replacing these parts. Let’s face it. Nobody makes the plastic pieces in the Dark Green that I need. Sure, I can get some of the parts new, but they’re black and need repainting. So, if I need to repaint new parts, why not just paint the originals, since they’re in good shape?

The plastic pieces that I have for the Charger are in decent shape, so painting them is a viable option. That option saves me from having to buy new pieces -- that need painting. This will save me a lot of money, and Paula likes it when I do that. Anyway, redying or repainting plastic interior pieces has gotten a bad rap over the years. Usually, it’s not the paint or dye’s fault, it’s that the pieces weren’t properly prepped for painting, or the wrong paint/dye was used. Since I didn’t want to have pieces that had flaked or cracked “paint,” or otherwise not usable when I finally do get to install them, I decided to do some research and see what paints were available, and get some references from guys that have actually used different products.

I asked quite a few people what products they recommend, and one of the company’s that got a lot of good comments, was Herb’s Parts. We didn’t realize that they developed their own proprietary interior paint, that as they say, “…is a new formula that penetrates the surface of leather, vinyl, ABS, PVC, Polycarbonate, acrylic, Lexan, metal and Polypropylene. It forms a molecular bond that restores or changes the color permanently.”

That sounded good to us, but we still proceeded with caution. We were also told that the paint will not crack, fade or peel, and the grain simulation isn’t altered or filled in, no matter how many coats are applied. Armed with that information, we decided we would put it to the test. We went online and ordered a couple of cans in the Dark Green we needed (Herb’s has paint charts on their website for reference), and decided to see how it would turn out for us. Follow along and decide for yourself -- we did.

2/9<strong>01</strong> The plastic pieces from our ’73 Charger were structurally sound, they weren’t flaking or busted, so we were hoping that fresh coat of paint would do the trick.

3/9<strong>02</strong> Before anything ever gets paint on it, it must be clean. We started by using warm water and soap, and followed that with a good scrubbing with Acetone. This will remove any cleaners and/or waxes that have been applied over the years.

4/9<strong>03</strong> The interior paint from Herb’s is proprietary, and is available for your ’63-’76 Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge vehicle. Once applied, it is dry to the touch in no time. This stuff can be used on door panels, seats, carpets, kick panels, and list goes on.

5/9<strong>04</strong> This close-up shows that even after a good, thorough scrubbing, the kick panel is still not as clean as it should be.

6/9<strong>05</strong> The trick to repairing or recoloring your panels is to not spray heavy coats. Heavy coats will cause runs, and possibly adhesion problems. Lightly mist the piece with several light coats. We ended up spraying three coats, and waited a few minute between coats.

7/9<strong>06</strong> After our third light coat, we were more than satisfied with the results.

Costs for Aerosol can of color choice: $17.00 each

Floor Fixin’

When the folks at Herb’s told us that their interior paint can also be used on carpeting, we were a bit skeptical. The last time we saw paint/dye used on carpeting, it had a rough, dry feeling that almost made the carpet feel “brittle.” Herb assured us that his paint does not cause the carpet to feel that way. So we decided to give it a try. The carpeting in the Valiant has this faded spot on the transmission tunnel that needed some attention. Now, there are a couple of ways to tackle this situation, you can either remove the carpet from the car and paint it all, or, if you feel lucky, try to “blend” the color near the affected spot. I felt lucky, so I first took the time to thoroughly clean the carpet, and then hit the affected area with a couple of light coats. By spraying light coats, you avoid any clumping that could occur from improper application, and you have a better chance of your “blend” matching the existing carpet.